Weekly (30–60 minutes)
- Clear the bank feed: categorize every new transaction in QuickBooks; match, don't add, anything that corresponds to an existing invoice or bill
- Photograph and attach receipts for anything over your documentation threshold ($75 is a sensible floor; equipment and travel always)
- Send invoices for completed work, same-week invoicing measurably shortens collection time
- Scan AR: anyone past terms gets the reminder now, while it's a nudge instead of a collections call
- Enter bills received; schedule payments against due dates
Monthly close (2–4 hours, same date every month)
- Reconcile every bank account against statements, to the penny, investigating any discrepancy before moving on
- Reconcile every credit card the same way
- Reconcile loans and lines of credit to lender statements; split payments into principal and interest
- Clear Undeposited Funds, anything sitting there over a week has a matching problem
- Scrub AR aging: fix misapplied payments, write off or chase the genuinely old
- Scrub AP aging: mark paid bills paid, question duplicates
- Review payroll postings: wages, taxes, and liabilities tied to your payroll reports
- Empty 'Uncategorized' and 'Ask My Accountant' to zero, park true mysteries on a dated list, not in limbo accounts
- Read the balance sheet line by line: does every number have an explanation you could say out loud?
- Run P&L vs last month and last year: investigate any line that moved more than ~15% without a story
- Move your tax set-aside (25–30% of profit) to its separate account
- Lock the period
Quarterly add-ons
- Estimated tax payment computed and paid (federal + state)
- Sales tax filings where registered
- Quick payroll form check: does the 941 match the books?
- Stand-back review: margin trend, labor percentage, cash runway
The 20-minute owner review (do this even if you outsource everything)
Once a month, whoever does the work: read the P&L top to bottom, read the balance sheet with the 'can I explain every line' test, check AR for who's using you as a bank, and compare profit to cash, if profit is up and cash is down, the difference is in receivables, inventory, or debt payments, and you should know which. Twenty minutes. Owners who do this never get ambushed by their own business.
When the checklist stops being enough
Honest thresholds: payroll beyond a couple of employees, revenue past ~$500K, job costing needs, or three consecutive months of skipped closes, any of those is the sign this list has become someone's actual job. What it costs to hand off: How Much Does a Bookkeeper Cost? A 2026 Guide for Small Business Owners . What it looks like done for you: Bookkeeping Services for Small Businesses .